Braille Printer helps to label everyday life

by James

Costing half that of current Braille printers, the 6dot Braille Printer has promise.

When going into the cupboard to get a can of peas, or a jar of peanut butter, it’s a relatively simple affair to look at the label and grab what you need. But if your blind, suddenly finding what you need in the cupboard is darn near impossible, if not disastrous. But thanks to engineering students at the University of Toronto, MIT and Stanford, getting what you need to cook is as easy as feeling for the Braille label you put on it.

The 6Dot Braille Label maker was created in consortium and promises to cost less than half of conventional Braille label makers. Using just six keys, one for each of the dots of a Braille character, users can input up to 16 characters into the printer’s memory including contractions. Then, it’s sa simple matter to “print” these raised characters onto a roll of tape which can then be affixed to just about anything.

The 6Dot runs on two AA batteries and the print quality is high making it easy to read the raised bumps on the tape. The 6Dot is not only ideal for identifying every day objects, but also to teach blind children how to read and write in Braille.